1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an air quality tester, and more particularly to a pressurized air tank air quality tester wherein an indicating cartridge for indicating by color the presence of an excessive amount of a given substance is disposed within a chamber in a housing that is attached to a pressurized air source.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of compressed breathing air in scuba tanks for scuba diving is well known. Most scuba tanks maintain compressed breathing air at 3000 psi for use when diving. Since the compressed air is directly utilized and provides the only source of air for the diver, the air source must be free of deleterious contaminants and must contain the proper mixture of nitrogen and oxygen to insure safe breathing for the diver. Compressed air bottles and tanks are also used by firefighting personnel for a source of breathing air in,smoked filled areas. Therefore, it is imperative that the air be free of contaminants and in the proper ratios of nitrogen and oxygen to insure safe, healthy breathing.
Scuba tanks and firefighting air tanks are periodically refilled from sources of air/gas stored in large, high pressure tanks or from compressor systems. The source of air is typically provided by commercial establishments for filling scuba and firefighter tanks. In order to insure that the air is of proper quality, it is necessary for these commercial establishments to periodically analyze air samples obtained from these large, pressurized storage tanks. This is done by collecting the air samples from each supply tank of pressurized compressed air/gas and sending them to outside laboratories for testing. It is essential that the sample testing be done correctly and accurately and that the retrieved samples be stored in containers or environments suitable for shipment to laboratory test sites. Moreover, it is commercially important for businesses that sample collection methods be kept simple and efficient to increase reliability and to decrease costs since frequent sampling of the air/gas source is required.
Heretofore, sampling kits have been directed toward the commercial establishment large, high pressure storage tanks. U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,274, issued to R. R. Landolt, Mar. 5, 1968, shows a gas sampler that collects inert radioactive fission gas. A float meter is shown to determine the amount of gas received into the system for proper analysis. U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,054, issued to H. S. Lalin, Mar. 18, 1986, shows a dual mode gas sampler and pneumatic float control system that allows simultaneous testing of gas samples for multiple test articles, either under constant pressure or, constant flow. The system shown includes an air pump and a regulating diaphragm. U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,619, issued to Lawson, Feb. 14, 1978, shows a device for sampling gas for analysis. Many of such prior art devices are complex in their structure and operation. Furthermore, these devices do not provide a small, portable air quality tester that may be connected directly to the scuba tanks and firefighting air tanks for testing the quality of the air inside the individual tanks.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a portable, compact air quality tester wherein the user is able to attach the device to the pressurized air source and observe, for a brief time, the indicating cartridge, wherein a change in color of the indicating cartridge indicates that the air inside the pressurized tank is contaminated.